How many times can you click per second? If you’re a PC gamer, your ability to click at lightning speed and aim with precision matters. FPS, or First Person Shooter games often require great skill to succeed at, but a proper gaming mouse and keyboard are essential no matter what kind of games you play. Good peripherals for your gaming setup can level up your gameplay and comfort. The best gaming mouse will have the correct weight, buttons, shape, and RGB settings perfect for your preferences.
If you ever feel guilty about engaging in the occasional game after work instead of being productive, don’t! A new study finds that nearly half of Americans credit many of their successes in life to playing video games. Researchers polled 2,000 Americans about the biggest lessons they’ve learned from video games and discovered 47 percent say gaming prepared them for success. Another six in 10 believe they gained a keener creative eye or better problem-solving skills. A similar amount (59%) add video games improved their hand-eye coordination, while others learned time management skills (50%).
Gaming is also another avenue to socializing and making new friends. Though it might seem like staying home and sitting at a computer is the opposite of socializing, a study finds the average American has made five new online friendships through playing video games over the last 18 months. The survey of 2,000 adults finds that the average gamer has become so close with their online pals, they’d invite four of them to their wedding! In fact, 39 percent have seen an increase in their friends list since the pandemic began.
Ready to play? StudyFinds did the research to set you up with the best gaming mouse so you can be ready to crush your online enemies. If you have a favorite model of mouse you use for gaming, let us know your choice in the comments below.
The List: Best Gaming Mice, According to Tech Experts
1. Razer Basilisk V3
The Razer Basilisk V3 is the new and improved model of Razer’s most popular mouse, recommended across the majority of the sources we consulted. You can choose the wired or the wireless Pro version. “The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro offers a high speed wireless connection, an incredibly capable optical sensor, a high polling rate, comfortable weight and design—and some of the best RGB lighting of any gaming mouse,” writes Forbes.
Besides the extensive amount of customizable buttons, this model can handle anything you throw at it, with an upgraded optical sensor and up to 20,000 DPI that stretches to 26,000 with software. “The Razer Basilisk V3 is the best gaming mouse to hit our lab,” raves Tom’s Hardware. “Its 9 (13 if you include all the scroll wheel inputs) programmable buttons, well-crafted shape, and premium, textured finish make it versatile across gaming genres and even productivity workloads. While it is on the heavier side compared to ultra-lightweight mice for FPS games, it glides well and has a dedicated sniper button that’s easy to reach and drops DPI instantly for headshots.”
Most people should find this mouse comfortable, regardless of grip or hand size. “Of all the gaming mice we’ve tested in the past few years, the Razer Basilisk V3 is the most comfortable option for the widest range of hand sizes and grip preferences,” says Wirecutter. “The Basilisk V3 offers well-placed, responsive buttons that are easy to press on purpose and hard to click by accident, as well as the ability to toggle between ratcheted and smooth scrolling.”
2. Logitech G502 Lightspeed
This mouse is a well-rounded package worth the price. “If you’re in the market for what’s arguably the very best gaming mouse then you’ll want to check out the Logitech G502 X Lightspeed,” says Tom’s Guide. It has pretty much everything one needs from a gaming mouse, and thanks to custom wireless connectivity it won’t lose precision due to the lack of a wired connection.
The G502 Lightspeed has a simple layout with large easy-to-use buttons and charge that lasts up to 60 hours. You can also fully customize the RGB. “A lot of technology is packed into the Logitech G502 Lightspeed including fast wireless connectivity with your PC,” writes Forbes. “This mouse features Logitech’s iconic Hero 25K sensor, the company’s most advanced, with 1:1 tracking and a 100 to 25,600 DPI sensitivity range. You’ll get 11 customizable buttons along with a fast scroll wheel.”
“The G502 is one of the best Logitech gaming mouse models on the market, offering 11 buttons (including a ‘sniper’ button on the side) with metal-spring tensioning for satisfying clicks,” writes GamesRadar. “We did find that sniper button a little too reachable during our testing, often hitting it accidentally. However, it was easy enough to bring the button into muscle memory. Tunable weights also allow you to customize your experience to ensure everything feels balanced and precise.”
3. Logitech G203 Lightsync
If you’re looking for a reliable budget mouse, the Logitech G203 Lightsync is a compact little package that does the job. You won’t get a lot of customization or the best feel, but you can’t beat the affordable price. “There are two customizable buttons on the right side – plus a DPI cycle button on top – but the G203’s design is otherwise ambidextrous,” says Engadget. “The RGB lighting around the bottom of the device is tasteful, and Logitech’s G Hub software makes it simple enough to tweak settings on both Windows and macOS.”
This mouse is wired, but you can grab the Lightspeed model if you’re looking for a wireless with the same features. “The G203 Lightsync sits within a hotly-contended category of budget-conscious gaming mice,” writes PC Gamer. “However, the G203 Lightsync has enough about it to stand on its own. Its no-nonsense design packs the bare essentials, and it builds upon that slight flair for the aesthetic that you won’t find quite so pronounced anywhere else.”
“There are loads of budget gaming mice to choose from these days, but the Logitech G203 Lightsync is by far the best of the bunch,” explains Rock Paper Shotgun. “Its build quality is much better than its similarly priced rivals, such as the HyperX Pulsefire Core and Steelseries Rival 110, and it also has a more responsive sensor, too.”
4. Razer Naga V2 Pro
This mouse is a great pick if you play MMO or MOBA games due to its ability to highly-tailored command buttons. “The Razer Naga V2 Pro follows in the footsteps of the Razer Naga Trinity, featuring magnetic swappable side-button plates that let you customize your button setup to match your gameplay,” says PC World. “The side-button plates include a 12-, 6-, and 2-button option. With the 12-button plate attached you get a maximum of 22 programmable commands, which is just ideal for MMO and MOBA gaming.”
The sensor is extremely accurate and sensitive, but is on the expensive side. “For those who play a lot of different genres, compromises are all-too familiar,” writes GamesRadar. “You’re usually constricted by having too few programmable buttons, or your gameplay becomes sloppy with too many to accidentally hit. That’s not so with the Razer Naga V2 Pro. This is a wireless pointer packed out with features, performance, and reliability, making it one of the best wireless gaming mouse we’ve had our hands on so far.”
“Razer has made its incredibly versatile MMO-focused Naga mouse even more versatile with the Naga V2 Pro, which maintains its predecessor’s swappable side plates and adds in a uniquely customizable scroll wheel that lets users tweak scroll tension, number of scroll steps, and haptic feel,” explains Tom’s Hardware.
5. Roccat Burst Pro Air
The Roccat Burst Pro Air is perfect for RGB lighting enthusiasts. There are 16.8 million color options in Roccat’s software. “While some gaming mice only have limited RGB lighting around their buttons or periphery, the ROCCAT Burst Pro goes all out with four dedicated programmable RGB lighting zones that light up the whole mouse like a firecracker,” writes PC World.
The mouse is small and lightweight, and wireless with a weight of 81g and a DPI of 19,000. “The Roccat Burst Pro Air is a much better wireless gaming mouse than you’d usually get for less than $100,” says Tom’s Guide. “This peripheral is small, lightweight, and colorful — and we don’t use ‘colorful’ lightly. Unlike most RGB gaming mice, which offer you a few small lighting zones and call it a day, the Burst Pro Air boasts beautiful illuminated hexagons all across its face. This means that you can actually see the mouse’s RGB patterns while you’re using the device.”
“Its 100-hour-long battery life hasn’t been proven yet, but we didn’t need to juice it up once during our intensive week of testing,” say reviewers at GamesRadar. “Plus, Roccat’s super flexible paracord cable means it’ll be easy to use even when it needs to be plugged in for charging. And since you can connect it to your PC with either Bluetooth or through the 2.4 Ghz dongle, there are plenty of options open to you.”
You might also be interested in:
- Best Gaming Chairs
- Best Gaming Headsets
- Best Gaming Monitors
- Best Gaming Laptops
- Best Nintendo Games of All Time
Sources:
- Tom’s Hardware
- Forbes
- Wirecutter
- Tom’s Guide
- GamesRadar
- Engadget
- PC Gamer
- Rock Paper Shotgun
- PC World
Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations.
Which experts recommended these? Most of them are old and terrible.
You might need to find some new experts if this is the list of mice you recommend.
I’ve owned 3 of the 5 mice and can say they aren’t the best in their price range. Just more garbage “journalism”.
Yeah you have no idea what you’re talking about. The fact that you suck at “journalism” just shows how dumb you are and how you can’t do basic research.
You don’t even have Rocket Jump Ninja or boardzy in your sources.
I hope you get fired loser
Yeah, looking at your other article it appears you have a good journalistic style. List 5 random products and say they’re the best based on little evidence. How do I get into writing these bad articles myself. Do you really get paid for this?